April Rides

[Crankin]

Rode about 22 miles of a 29 mile club ride I designed last year. Our venue for the start of our bike rally has changed, so we will be doing a different route this June. Sad, because we had rave reviews about the route, but the venue for this year is better. Change, like after 25 years for the club.
Anyway, it's brilliantly sunny and 55 out, but, with a cool wind, gusting up to about 10. Because we started at our friends' house, the biggest climb is right in the beginning. I felt like i was struggling for the first half, but I got myself going at the end. DH is struggling more than me, so I am chuckling. Tons of cyclists out today. Nice to do our first ride with our friends, although my friend is very slow at this time of year, so I really didn't see her, except for the beginning, once when we stopped and waited, and at the end.
Now I am deciding what to do tomorrow. It is going to rain on Tuesday and Friday, the days I usually commute. I could ride to work tomorrow and go to the gym Tuesday, or I could ride to the gym at 4:50 AM (I've done it), then ride to work, as it's pretty close. But, I'd have to pack so much crap, not sure I want to. I was planning to do a group ride Wednesday, and now my friend, who is a slow rider wants to ride with me. I am trying to do more club rides, to increase my speed, but I hate to say no to her.

[Fredwina]

I did get out yesterday and today:

[Jolt]

Finally some nice riding weather! Rode for about 45 minutes today, first ride on a road bike I picked up off Craigslist over the winter...kind of a nerve racking ride not being used to the bike yet and having to deal with all the sand and broken pavement on skinnier tires (probably fat to most of you...28s, but skinny for me). Also the first ride on a new saddle...decided to try a Selle Anatomica (Titanico) after hearing a lot of good reviews but not sure it is going to work well for me at all. I did realize after getting home that it wasn't on quite straight, so will have to try again now that that's fixed, but the edges of the leather were digging into the backs of my inner thighs and I had some other soft tissue discomfort as well, despite the cutout. Not fun at all. If it hadn't been for the saddle discomfort, I probably would have stayed out longer since it was such a nice day. If I ride tomorrow it will probably be on the other bike (Trek 830 frankenbike in avatar) where I can relax and enjoy the ride despite the current crappy state of the roads.

[ny biker]

Rode about 22 miles of a 29 mile club ride I designed last year. Our venue for the start of our bike rally has changed, so we will be doing a different route this June. Sad, because we had rave reviews about the route, but the venue for this year is better. Change, like after 25 years for the club.
Anyway, it's brilliantly sunny and 55 out, but, with a cool wind, gusting up to about 10. Because we started at our friends' house, the biggest climb is right in the beginning. I felt like i was struggling for the first half, but I got myself going at the end. DH is struggling more than me, so I am chuckling. Tons of cyclists out today. Nice to do our first ride with our friends, although my friend is very slow at this time of year, so I really didn't see her, except for the beginning, once when we stopped and waited, and at the end.
Now I am deciding what to do tomorrow. It is going to rain on Tuesday and Friday, the days I usually commute. I could ride to work tomorrow and go to the gym Tuesday, or I could ride to the gym at 4:50 AM (I've done it), then ride to work, as it's pretty close. But, I'd have to pack so much crap, not sure I want to. I was planning to do a group ride Wednesday, and now my friend, who is a slow rider wants to ride with me. I am trying to do more club rides, to increase my speed, but I hate to say no to her.

I've found that club rides slow me down, especially when I lead rides. I ride sweep at the low end of the speed range for the ride category, and there always seems to be someone riding slower. I don't want to leave them behind, even though I'm riding at the advertised pace and they're not -- I usually don't know if they're just having a bad day or if they normally ride that slow. But I'm kinda tired of having to hold back and not get the workout that I was hoping to get.

[colorisnt]

It's hard with the pace. I'm okay with it in days when I am not working on pacing but it's really hard for me when I am really, really trying to work on good speed! I, thankfully, am pacing closer to the BF now. He's still slower but not by much anymore. I've been spinning all winter and he's been doing nothing haha. So, he's been out of the game. He will lap me soon. It's good encouragement to try to stay with him.

Today, we did 20 miles of hills. I think I am finally getting the gearing right on the MTB. Despite the heavier bikes, we did great. BF hadn't ever ridden that much in the country before but he did great with the cars. We kicked butt! I also used my road bike saddle today and it improved my ride 110%!

[Crankin]

NY, I was just with friends today. I just got the route for Wed. and I am leaning to bagging it, going with my friend, and using the ride to my house and home as a time to ride faster. The group is going up into the town I lived in when I first moved here; the issue is the shorter ride 26 miles is stopping at a butterfly museum, which I have no interest in, and the longer ride is 37 miles, in a very hilly area past the museum. Plus, those riders are fast (for me) and I am not sure I can keep up, or I will be that person behind the sweep . Seriously, when DH and I lead, I do the sweeping and on the 2 rides we do early season, it is show and go... there is always someone who shouldn't be there. Other rides, they have to call me and I screen them.

[Jolt]

Rode just under 8 miles each way to a friend's house in the next town, to see her and her new baby. Lots of hills on the route! I rode the bike with fatter tires today and was glad I did given the amount of broken pavement and frost heaves--that's spring in New England. Definitely a ways to go as far as getting broken in to the saddle again...was feeling that soreness in the derriere on today's ride.

[azfiddle]

Emily- just saw your comment. Mt. Lemmon is not so much hard, as just a long, constant climb. The grade is mainly 5% and so it's just a steady uphill slog. I average 6-7 mph when I'm moving but I stop every few miles and take a little rest.

Last trip I stopped around mile 7 (mainly due to time constraints). This trip, about mile 9. Next trip I'll go to either 11.5 (Middle Bear Canyon) or Windy Point (mile 14).

[ny biker]

Emily- just saw your comment. Mt. Lemmon is not so much hard, as just a long, constant climb. The grade is mainly 5% and so it's just a steady uphill slog. I average 6-7 mph when I'm moving but I stop every few miles and take a little rest.

Last trip I stopped around mile 7 (mainly due to time constraints). This trip, about mile 9. Next trip I'll go to either 11.5 (Middle Bear Canyon) or Windy Point (mile 14).

I still have not tried the Mt Lemmon climb on my Spinervals Tuscon DVD. I assume there is a long period of riding in a high gear. The scenery looks nice, though, so I will try it out -- but not until next winter, since I'm really over the whole indoor cycling thing at this point.

I've ridden part of Skyline Drive once. It's a series of climbs like what you describe -- long but not steep. It was definitely challenging, but also lots of fun.

[azfiddle]

NY Biker-

I am so thankful that the weather here allows us to ride year round. Mt. Lemmon is the only long ride I can do in the mid-summer.

[emily_in_nc]

Yesterday was my 53rd birthday, and because I didn't have the time or inclination to ride 53 miles, we did another urban ride on the mountain bikes and rode 35 miles on the bike path and roads there and back (which, for those geeks like me, is actually 53 in hexidecimal!) Had to go to the bank and a grocery store, so riding the MTBs with racks and Tailriders made sense. It was a good, long-enough ride.

After showers, we then celebrated with BBQ and ice cream out last night!

[ny biker]

Happy birthday!!

(I thought "dyslexia," not "hexidecimal.")

[rebeccaC]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Emily!!!!....ice cream ftw I remember Balsano's Gelato from a trip to KC if it's still there you might like it.

[Crankin]

Happy Birthday, Emily. Doing that miles for your age thing starts getting a bit "old," when you are over 50. I'll keep doing it, but wonder how I'll feel when I'm 65 or 70!

[ny biker]

I know someone who led a 72-mile club ride to celebrate his 72nd birthday last year. On the flip side, there used to be a guy in this area who led a group ride of (100 - his age) miles each year for his birthday.

I hope I'm able to ride my age when I'm 65 or 70, even if I don't want to.